Thursday, January 28, 2010

BIL'AK + TRIGGS RESPONSE

I thought both readings were very intriguing in that of the explanation of "experiment" relating to typography. Bil'ak spoke thoroughly about the relativity the word experiment has to science and the process scientists usually go through. He stated that scientists begin with a hypothesis and go through trial and error until some amazing outcome surfaces. Triggs was different from Bil'ak and supplied many different examples of designers' views on the term experiment and what it meant in terms of design. One thing he touched on slightly that I noticed about the next step is the acceptance experimental typography has these days. With many active designers these days, it is encouraged to keep on experimenting and going through trial and error to see what works well and what doesn't. On the opposite side, he notices that the audiences are getting not necessarily smarter, but developing a more keen eye when it comes to advertisements and design in general. They have developed a different "way of seeing".

I would have to agree with David Carson's statement, "experimenting is something you haven't done before...or seen/heard by anyone" and Michael Worthington's "true experimentation means to take risks." My initial thought of the term was trying different things and using different sources and skills. (different avenues of communication, different mediums, different ways of communicating and persuasion) Possibly combining different skills to create a better, more successful outcome. My after thought now is that experiment is a lot of different answers. One must experiment to get those answers. Experiment can only be answered by the act of experimenting.

Through typography, there are endless possibilities as for what a headline/artifact can look like. That is where us as designers must experiment and go through the options available and in the end, find a solution that best benefits the artifact, client, and audience. Research is key, in some instances testing is good, and iterations...lots and lots of iterations.